The Irish standard., 1887-06-25
AN INCIDENT OF 1898.
The Bravery Of Holt, Who Fought
Through the Troublesome n
Times of 1898, !
THE DEATH OF FATHER MURPHY

!
Holt's Surrender, Trial, Sentence aut
| Final Liberation---He Died at
Kingston in 1926.
During the rebellion of 1898 in Ire,
land it was allotted to the Orange yeo
men and sometimes to the militia tC
harass and ma,t,eat the suspected pea
santry. The subject of this sketch was
goaded to rebellion through this cause.
Mr.. Holt was peaceable, amiable, law
abiding person, Protestant in reli-
gion, who occupied a large farm
Roundwood, near Lpugh Dan. in the
County Wicklow. He detested and be-
walled the enormities practised upon
his unofending Catholic neighbors by
his mercenary co-religionists. who, dis
covered the bent of his sympathies.
honored him by a marauding visit.
His cattle were repeatedly taken away,
till neither roof nor horn were left him.
Ultimately his house was robbed, and
he and his family were driven to desti-
tuition. He was not an isolated case.
His misfortune was the rule and not
the exception in County Wicklow. A
fellO wheeling Of mutual defence and
protection had animated the populace,
and only waited the respected authority
and cooperation Of the admired farmer
Holt to give it activity. AT the Sc
cluded valley called The DEVILS Glen, -
near "The Seven Churches" the be-
wildered sufferers met for consultation.
It was resolved to act unitedly and to
resolutely withstand ali further free
boot1ng incursions by the heartless in
truder who annoyed them. They ap-
pointed Mr.. Holt to the supreme com.
mand. comforting upon him the title Of
general, Some difficulty lay in the way
of procuring arms, but in little time
muskets and pixies, swords and scythes,
and men with brave hearts and strong
arms, arrived in considerable plenty at
the rendezvous. They had not learned
much military discipline before they
were compelled 10 fight. "A large force
of yeomanry and militia, urder conf
mand If Hunter Gowon, Of croppy-
hunting notoriety, arrived to ann!hil-
ate them but after an hours close
tussle on the banks OF Aughrim. in
which the yeo1nanry suffered severely,
the royal poltroons took to their heels,
leaving General Holt monarch of the
Devils Glen.
The headquarters of the yeonlanry
were at B|essington, where they had
the church and the Marquis Of Down
shire's mansion fortified. and where
they had all the cattle belonging to the
peasantry collected for their own use.
The hero of the DEVILS Glen imne,
dately led his amateur army against
this place, for the purpose of recovering
the poor peoples cattle; which, al
though under severe fire from the
church steep1e and from Blessington
House, he successfully accomplished.
Had he allowed his men, they would
have broken into the church. He OBJ
jected to inflict injury upon the temple
of worship. Downshire House, how
ever. he set in flames, and drove away
thirty-two COWS, ten horses and one
hundred and fifty sheep. He now re-
solved upon offensive warfare, and
soon cleared the glens and brakes of
Wicklow Of the spoilers who had reck~
lessly sported with the peoples liber
ties and rights. But more atrocious
foe than even the yeoman was being
prepared for him. At the outbreak of
the rebellion twelve British militia
regiments were sent to Ireland to assist
in quelling it. One of these was a regi
ment of fanatical Welsh mountaineers,
who were taught to believe that the
Irish were barbarous sayages. In their
blind, brutal ferocity they spared
neither age or sex. They had assisted
at the defeat Of the famed Father
Murphy's men at the battle of Ark]ow,
where, it is said, they roasted that
clergyman's body after he fell The
Government authorities admired their
dogged cruelty, fattered them as the
descendants of the great Caractatus,
and conferred upon them the appella-
tion Of ''The Ancient Britons." The
desperadoes, accompanied by the Bal
laghkeene Cavalry. were now marching
against Holt and his peasant army
The scouts of the rebel general brought
intelligence Of their approach. They
We're coming along the road of Bally-
ellis, making for the green hillside
where the rebels were posted. Near a
turn in the road Holt had a barricade
erected he then placed his musketeers,
under command OF Denis Taafo and the
brothers Byrne, of Ballymanus, behind
the hedges which lined the road on
each side; took his plke,nen and those
with other hand arms on to an. ada.